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Social Club News - 10th December - Family Christmas Party this weekend

OUR FAMILY CHRISTMAS PARTY
is this weekend.
Saturday December 15th - we open at 6pm

Please come and join us - we'll be having a special visit from you know who, and they'll be games, prizes. music. dancing and as much excitement as your little elves can handle. Free to members and guests, their children, nieces, nephews grand children and so on. More details below.

The last message about Christmas opening hours may not have been very clear. Please see below for a quick summary of our hours - we've listed anything different or unusual.

Fri 21 Dec Last Working Day Disco Club opens 4pm

Sat 22 Dec - Normal hours (7pm - 11pm)

Sun 23 Dec - closed all day

Mon 24 Dec Christmas Eve

Open 12-2 & from 7pm

Tue 25 Dec - closed All Day

Wed 26 Dec - football 12-6pm

(hot food as usual)

Please note we will close at 6pm

Thur 27 Dec - normal hours

Fri 28 Dec - normal hours

Sat 29 Dec - football - open 12-11

(hot food as usual)

Sun 30 Dec - closed All Day

Mon 31 Dec - New Years Eve

Open 12-2 & from 4pm

Prosecco Offer! Bring your own food.

Tue 1 Jan - Closed All Day

Early Bird QuizFriday 14th @ 5.45pm

The Early Bird Quiz is a free to enter fun quiz, with a slightly silly approach. After work, once a month, on a Friday there's a maximum number of 5 people in a team, and free prizes. The winning team get a free round of drinks, the last placed team win a small chocolate bar. Come along, have a laugh, and leave work behind. We will finish about 7ish. Expect the unexpected. With a music round...

Please note we are opening early (at 6pm) so that the little ones can enjoy the party before they fall asleep. PLEASE NOTE that we can't let anyone in before 6pm, so please don't arrive too early.

With a special visit from a very special guest, we'll also have DJ Freddie on hand to ramp up the excitement and to guarantee some exhausted children and (hopefully) a nice lay in for the grown ups. Expect music, dancing, games, prizes and seasonal shenanigans. This open to social club members and their guests, sons, daughters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren - or even just friends of the family. Come along and enjoy - all we ask is that children are supervised at all times. And there will be a photo opportunity with the special guest as well. And Jean and the girls will be cooking up a storm in the kitchen, with hot delicious home made food available.

CLUB OPEN WEEK
Mon 17th - Fri 21st December

We would like your help in recruiting new members, and a good way of doing that is to get them up the club so they can see its not the 1970's working mens club style dinosaur that many people who haven't visited still believe it to be.

As its nearly Christmas, we thought we'd make it even more attractive by laying on hot mince pies from Monday to Thursday.

So over to you - please get your colleagues interested and then sign them up. Please note that the open week also includes the last working day disco.

Please also note that this doesn't include the childrens/family party on the 15th December, where normal membership rules will apply.

FREE HOT MINCE PIES MON-THUR at LUNCHTIME

lovely with a glass of mulled wine!

LAST WORKING DAY DISCO & PARTY 2018
Friday 21st December from 4pm

Its the best place for the office get together or party. Its a county hall tradition that we're reviving due to public demand. Its a phenomenon! From 4pm we'll have a DJ on with all the tunes, lights and smoke effects to get the party started. The kitchen will be open to ensure you don't waste away, we'll have a lovely range of great value drinks on offer, and basically everything you need for a good night out. Whether you decide to stick with us all night or head on to the city you'll be sure of a good welcome.

And yes, we know that a lot of people will be in on Monday, but its a tradition to call it last working day!!!

CHRISTMAS EVE OPENING HOURS
12.00-2.00 and 7.00-11.00
CLOSED ALL DAY CHRISTMAS DAY
NORWICH CITY v NOTTS FOREST
Wednesday 26th December
Club opens 12pm

We'll be open for pre-match banter, great homecooked food from Jean and the girls, and our usual great value bar. Invite your fellow supporters along and also take advantage of our FREE parking. The first 50 social club members showing there social club membership card at the kiosk will be able to park for free. Will Father Christmas bring Norwich 3 points, or will our defense prove seasonably generous to the opposition?

Please note that as its boxing day we will closing at 6pm in the evening.
NORWICH CITY v DERBY COUNTY
Saturday 29th December
Club opens 12pm

We'll be open for pre-match banter, great homecooked food from Jean and the girls, and our usual great value bar. Invite your fellow supporters along and also take advantage of our FREE parking. The first 50 social club members showing there social club membership card at the kiosk will be able to park for free. Have we got what it takes to sustain a promotion push?

NEW YEARS EVE - Dec 31st
Club open 12-2 and from 4pm.

The club will be open in the evening, until midnight, so you can bring in the new year in style. We won't have any food in, but by all meals bring in your remaining Christmas nibbles, order in a takeaway, bring a pot noodle or whatever takes your fancy. We'll have a prosecco promotion on as well, so you can toast the old year, and welcome the new year with some bubbles.

CLOSED ALL DAY NEW YEARS DAY
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2019

We're planning some great stuff for 2019. Besides the monthly early bird quiz, big quiz, and pre home match football, we've got hot food Friday lunchtimes, our perennial 4 pints for the price of 3 (after work and before 7pm), the rock n roll club, retired members talks, various sports clubs and lots more. All for £2.50 a month!

Please sign up your colleagues so they can enjoy as well. These are all FREE for social club members and their guest (including children) and are paid for out of your £2.50 a month. So the more members we have, the more we can put on! Simples"

IF YOU WANT TO GET IN TOUCH...

Please don't reply to these emails - they disappear into a big hole somewhere in a parallel universe, and get ignored.

This can be a difficult time for our children and families, creating extra stresses and pressures. Some of our young people will have very different memories of Christmas to those portrayed in the festive films and TV ads and many of our staff will be working around the clock over the holidays, spending time away from their own families to help support our children and young people.

With all of this in mind, I’m pleased to see the return of our Giving Tree appeal again this year. I know many of our staff like to support this appeal by buying a book for one of the children in our care and I am sure that it makes a big difference to them on Christmas Day. There are more details on how to take part in the article below.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you for your dedication and commitment. I am well aware of the hard work that you are all doing to improve the lives of children and young people across the county and I know that this work can be incredibly demanding. The end of the year can leave us all feeling tired, particularly when it has been such a busy year, and I hope you enjoy a well earned break over the festive period.

Giving tree brings festive cheer to children in care

There’s just a couple more days to take part in our annual Giving Tree appeal, helping spread some festive joy for children in our care.

Once again we’ve teamed up with Norwich Waterstones to encourage shoppers to think about buying the gift of a book for a child in our care.

Now in its twelfth year, this popular seasonal project has supported thousands of our children by letting them know that someone is thinking of them on Christmas Day.

A Christmas tree is adorned with tags requesting children’s book wishes, so that customers can chose a specific book or genre of book to match to a child.

Books need to be purchased by Sunday 10 December so they reach children in time for Christmas. This is because the books are often distributed through children’s schools. Any books bought after this date will be delivered in the New Year. And there’s good news for people who can’t make it into the store – books can be purchased over the phone. Just call 01603 767292 and ask for the Children’s Department or email norwich@waterstones.com

The Giving Tree is organised by our Virtual School for Children in Care, who spend many hours wrapping and distributing the books.

Children's Advice and Duty Service has successful first month

It’s now just over a month since we launched our new Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS) and the early signs are that the new service is working well. We’ve had positive feedback from our partners and unnecessary social work assessments are continuing to fall, which is much better for children, families and our social work teams.

However, we do know that the success of CADS is having an impact on our Early Help teams. We expected this but it has been more significant than we had planned for. We're currently looking at ways of addressing this and we’re grateful to those across the service for their hard work as the service beds in.

We're confident that the changes mean children’s cases are being held in the right places and, for many, it means they are getting the right help much earlier.

New service offers therapy to families

Our very first social impact bond is set to launch in the New Year, providing intensive therapy to families that are in crisis. Bridges Outcome Partnerships are investing in the bond, which will be delivered by Family Psychology Mutual.

The project will run for three years and will use a Functional Family Therapy Child Welfare model to work with parents and children, helping to keep families together. This method of therapy has been successful elsewhere and uses a specific programme, delivered within a family’s home.

The council has received £1.25m from the Big Lottery’s Life Chances Fund to support the work. Bridges also provide investment and receive a return if the programme is successful. There is no cost to the County Council and it is expected that the project will avoid future costs of children coming into our care.

The model compliments our other work with children and families, building relationships and utilising the strengths in families to help keep children safe.

We are currently in the early stages of designing a new social work model for the county, aimed at giving social workers more time to work directly with families.

To do this we want to create more support roles, to reduce some of the administrative tasks that take up so much of social workers’ time. We're also looking at creating more alternatively qualified roles in teams, such as those specialising in domestic abuse or mental health. These people won't be doing social work roles but will providing additional support to improve outcomes for children.

It will mean we have more professionals available to work around families.

We’re looking at models that are working well in places like Hertfordshire but we want to create a new model that works for our staff and our families. This work is still at an early stage at the moment and we will keep you up to date as it develops. We’ll also need your help and views on what we’re proposing.

We will come to talk to talk to teams about this in the coming weeks and are currently looking at dates and venues that are available in January.

More praise for boarding partnership

We've had more national praise for our partnership work, placing vulnerable children in boarding schools.

In a House of Lords debate on early intervention, Lord Farmer highlighted the success of the programme, which places vulnerable children in boarding school placements – preventing them from going into care and boosting educational attainment.

Lord Farmer said: “Norfolk County Council has placed 52 vulnerable children in 11 state and independent boarding schools over the last decade, and its results have proved that this works.” We’re currently looking to expand the scheme, as part of our transformation programme.

This week there's also been more publicity about the Norfolk scheme, as the Department for Education launched its national bursary programme. You can read more here.

New homes for care leavers

The first of our new semi-independent housing for care leavers is set to open in the next couple of months and our team are currently visiting some of the communities where we are developing these homes for our young people.

The £5m scheme will see up to 11 new homes developed, with round-the-clock support on site.

As corporate parents to these young people it is important that we have control over the quality of accommodation, can help to keep them safe and ensure that they are getting the support they need.

At the moment there aren’t enough high quality places in the county and we want to ensure that young people have the right accommodation and support as they move towards independence.

The aim of the project is to ensure young people get the right support and to reduce reliance on high cost agency and residential placements.

Young people will have access to the 24/7 support on site, as well as support from a from a personal adviser and/or social worker. We will also be closely monitoring the support and the accommodation to make sure it is of the highest quality.

This means young people can have the tailored support they need in good quality accommodation, preparing them to live in their own tenancy in the future.

Successful conference for Virtual School

The Virtual School for looked after and previously looked after children held their annual conference recently at the John Innes Centre.

140 delegates heard keynote speaker Sarah Naish deliver a thought provoking and inspiring session on education in the context of children and young people who have experienced trauma

She returned to Norfolk having spoken at the last Team Around the Child conference in 2017. Sarah is the therapeutic parent of five adopted children and also has experience of Children’s Services as a qualified social worker. Having owned an outstanding fostering agency, Sarah now runs the Inspire Training Group. As well as this, Sarah is a best selling author of adoption books such as William Wobbly and the very bad day and in 2014 was awarded Woman of the Year in the Women in Business Awards.

The day continued with presentations by a wide range of speakers.

In addition to the speakers, there was a vibrant market place which included an interactive session by young people (the ‘guinea pig’ group focusing on mindfulness)

Although delegates were primarily designated teachers and social workers, other partners including Independent Reviewing Officers, were also in the audience which included delegates from Norfolk, Suffolk and, a bit further afield, Portsmouth.

The feedback was very positive and plans are already underway for next year's event, when the guinea pig group will be taking to the stage. Invitations has also been extended to a Norfolk teacher who is also an adoptive parent and a young person who is care experienced.

Make someone’s day – nominate them for an OSCA

The second and final round of Outstanding Contribution Awards is now open and runs until 18 January. The OSCAs are a great way of celebrating colleagues’ successes and nominating is quick and easy. Find out more here. We’ll soon be announcing the winners and nominees from the first round, so watch this space!

Norfolk Support Line - here to help

Norfolk Support Line (0800 169 7676) is a confidential and independent counselling and information service available 24/7 to all Norfolk County Council staff. The service is provided by an external organisation, Validium, with telephone, face-to-face or e-mail counselling available. Individuals can contact the service with home or work related issues. More information is available here.

Sharing successes

Have you got a good news story for Let's Talk, or do you have information to share with colleagues? Get in touch at csweeklybrief@norfolk.gov.uk.

Our People from Abroad Team was praised at the Social Worker of the Year Awards last Friday, after picking up an award for innovative social work. Based in The Forum in Norwich, the team has supported migrants and Syrian refugees arriving in Norfolk for the last two years. More...

In Good Company with the Leader

In the run-up to Christmas Cllr Andrew Proctor, Leader of the Council, talks about our award-winning In Good Company campaign and what it means to our residents. The aim of the campaign is to ensure that nobody in Norfolk has a lonely day. Listen to what the Leader has to say here.

Stay Alive app launched

This week, as part of our suicide prevention campaign, our Public Health Team launched a Stay Alive app which includes local information and tools to help people in Norfolk stay safe in a crisis. More...

Bravo, county farms!

Duncan Slade, from our Corporate Property Team, was on the Sunday Politics East show and BBC Look East this week (6 December), talking about how we raise £600,000 per year to support services by operating farms across the county. You can listen to the interview, and watch the full coverage of our council services on Sunday Politics East .

Get one step ahead

Do you work in health and social care? Are you an EU citizen who isn’t British? Get one step ahead… The Home Office is testing the EU Settlement Scheme through a series of pilots ahead of the public launch. This phase of the pilot runs until 21 December.

Help the Anglo-Saxon Winfarthing Pendant to be named the Art Fund’s Work of 2018. The pendant was discovered in Norfolk and saved following a fundraising appeal by Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery.

You can vote on the Art Fund’s website and will be entered into a prize draw to win a lifetime National Art Pass. More...

The tide is high

There was advice from Norfolk Fire & Rescue, and the Environment Agency, this week on how to keep young people safe in a flood. It was revealed that this age group is most likely to take flood risks, including wave watching and taking storm selfies. More...

And finally... Christmas Time & Tidings

There’s free admission to the Time & Tide Museum in Great Yarmouth this evening with a festive grotto, brass band, craft fair and children’s activities. The festive fun starts at 5pm.

Find out more here plus what's coming up in our museums over the holiday season.

'What we do’ and ‘Our Values’ vinyls have been placed on walls on every floor of County Hall, and near the restaurant, as a visual reminder of our four key principles and core values. If you work at County Hall, make sure you take a look.

And by being #FoodSavvy, you can save money too by stocking up on items that can be frozen or eaten later in the year. Read more here.

Time for your MOT?

We have a Musculoskeletal Assessment (MOT) day next Thursday 13 December at County Hall. To book, email the Well-being team.

Ready, set, grit!

With winter having officially started, our gritters are prepared for what could be the start of a busy period. Our fleet of gritting lorries has been out this week with specially formulated salt designed to prevent ice forming on the road surface. More...

Christmas Carols at County Hall

All staff are welcome to the Christmas Carol service at County Hall next week, on Friday 14 December at 12.30 in the Marble Map area.

This week's blog

Fiona McDiarmid, Strategy DirectorRead Fiona's blog here and look out for James Bullion's blog on Monday.

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Please note that due to staffing changes, the frequency of the bulletin will reduce temporarily during December and January until a new Arts Business Support Officer is in place.

This week we have a short message from our Norfolk County Council Arts Officer Mary Muir inviting members to express an interest in participating in an inaugural Norfolk Creativity and Wellbeing Week planned for June 10 – 16th 2019.

Are you interested in participating in an inaugural Norfolk Creativity and Wellbeing Week: June 10 – 16th 2019?

London Arts in Health Forum and the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance are working together to expand the London Creativity and Wellbeing Week into an annual national event. Now in its eighth year, the Week has grown to nearly 350 events in London in 2018, with over 35,000 people attending talks, workshops, performances, exhibitions and discussions.

To build on its enormous success, the Week will be expanded to become a national event from 2019. This presents an excellent and exciting opportunity to work together to promote the many ways in which arts and culture contribute to health and wellbeing here in Norfolk. If there is sufficient interest, Norfolk Arts Service would like to initiate an annual Norfolk Creativity and Wellbeing Week highlighting and promoting our fabulous offer for people of ages across the county.

To register your initial interest in being part of Norfolk Creativity and Wellbeing Week, please email: arts@norfolk.gov.uk

The last message about Christmas opening hours may not have been very clear. Please see below for a quick summary of our hours - we've listed anything different or unusual.

Fri 21 Dec Last Working Day Disco Club opens 4pm

Sat 22 Dec - Normal hours (7pm - 11pm)

Sun 23 Dec - closed all day

Mon 24 Dec Christmas Eve

Open 12-2 & from 7pm

Tue 25 Dec - closed All Day

Wed 26 Dec - football 12-6pm

(hot food as usual)

Please note we will close at 6pm

Thur 27 Dec - normal hours

Fri 28 Dec - normal hours

Sat 29 Dec - football - open 12-11

(hot food as usual)

Sun 30 Dec - closed All Day

Mon 31 Dec - New Years Eve

Open 12-2 & from 4pm

Prosecco Offer! Bring your own food.

Tue 1 Jan - Closed All Day

CAROLS UP THE CLUB
Friday 7th December
5pm for a 5.30 start.

We'll be having our annual carol extravaganza at the social club, with free hot mince pies! We'll start at 5.30pm, but please try to arrive a bit early. There's something a bit special about singing carols together, at this time of year, with a pint, a glass of wine or a non-alcoholic drink. There will be a collection in aid of the social clubs nominated charity as well. Mulled wine will also be available to purchase.

NORWICH CITY v BOLTON
Saturday 8th December
Club opens 12pm

We'll be open for pre-match banter, great homecooked food from Jean and the girls, and our usual great value bar. Invite your fellow supporters along and also take advantage of our FREE parking. The first 50 social club members showing there social club membership card at the kiosk will be able to park for free. What's not to like? And hopefully Daniel Farke and the increasingly impressive Norwich Squad will deliver on the pitch as well.

Thanks very much to those who pointed out that it isn't Rotherham. D'Oh!

Early Bird QuizFriday 14th @ 5.45pm

The Early Bird Quiz is a free to enter fun quiz, with a slightly silly approach. After work, once a month, on a Friday there's a maximum number of 5 people in a team, and free prizes. The winning team get a free round of drinks, the last placed team win a small chocolate bar. Come along, have a laugh, and leave work behind. We will finish about 7ish. Expect the unexpected. With a music round...

Please note we are opening early (at 6pm) so that the little ones can enjoy the party before they fall asleep. PLEASE NOTE that we can't let anyone in before 6pm, so please don't arrive too early.

With a special visit from a very special guest, we'll also have DJ Freddie on hand to ramp up the excitement and to guarantee some exhausted children and (hopefully) a nice lay in for the grown ups. Expect music, dancing, games, prizes and seasonal shenanigans. This open to social club members and their guests, sons, daughters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren - or even just friends of the family. Come along and enjoy - all we ask is that children are supervised at all times. And there will be a photo opportunity with the special guest as well. And Jean and the girls will be cooking up a storm in the kitchen, with hot delicious home made food available.

CLUB OPEN WEEK
Mon 17th - Fri 21st December

We would like your help in recruiting new members, and a good way of doing that is to get them up the club so they can see its not the 1970's working mens club style dinosaur that many people who haven't visited still believe it to be.

As its nearly Christmas, we thought we'd make it even more attractive by laying on hot mince pies from Monday to Thursday.

So over to you - please get your colleagues interested and then sign them up. Please note that the open week also includes the last working day disco.

Please also note that this doesn't include the childrens/family party on the 15th December, where normal membership rules will apply.

FREE HOT MINCE PIES MON-THUR at LUNCHTIME

lovely with a glass of mulled wine!

LAST WORKING DAY DISCO 2018
Friday 21st December from 4pm

Its the best place for the office get together or party. Its a county hall tradition that we're reviving due to public demand. Its a phenomenon! From 4pm we'll have a DJ on with all the tunes, lights and smoke effects to get the party started. The kitchen will be open to ensure you don't waste away, we'll have a lovely range of great value drinks on offer, and basically everything you need for a good night out. Whether you decide to stick with us all night or head on to the city you'll be sure of a good welcome.

And yes, we know that a lot of people will be in on Monday, but its a tradition to call it last working day!!!

CHRISTMAS EVE OPENING HOURS
12.00-2.00 and 7.00-11.00
CLOSED ALL DAY CHRISTMAS DAY
NORWICH CITY v NOTTS FOREST
Wednesday 26th December
Club opens 12pm

We'll be open for pre-match banter, great homecooked food from Jean and the girls, and our usual great value bar. Invite your fellow supporters along and also take advantage of our FREE parking. The first 50 social club members showing there social club membership card at the kiosk will be able to park for free. Will Father Christmas bring Norwich 3 points, or will our defense prove seasonably generous to the opposition?

Please note that as its boxing day we will closing at 6pm in the evening.
NORWICH CITY v DERBY COUNTY
Saturday 29th December
Club opens 12pm

We'll be open for pre-match banter, great homecooked food from Jean and the girls, and our usual great value bar. Invite your fellow supporters along and also take advantage of our FREE parking. The first 50 social club members showing there social club membership card at the kiosk will be able to park for free. Have we got what it takes to sustain a promotion push?

NEW YEARS EVE - Dec 31st
Club open 12-2 and from 4pm.

The club will be open in the evening, until midnight, so you can bring in the new year in style. We won't have any food in, but by all meals bring in your remaining Christmas nibbles, order in a takeaway, bring a pot noodle or whatever takes your fancy. We'll have a prosecco promotion on as well, so you can toast the old year, and welcome the new year with some bubbles.

CLOSED ALL DAY NEW YEARS DAY
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2019

We're planning some great stuff for 2019. Besides the monthly early bird quiz, big quiz, and pre home match football, we've got hot food Friday lunchtimes, our perennial 4 pints for the price of 3 (after work and before 7pm), the rock n roll club, retired members talks, various sports clubs and lots more. All for £2.50 a month!

Please sign up your colleagues so they can enjoy as well. These are all FREE for social club members and their guest (including children) and are paid for out of your £2.50 a month. So the more members we have, the more we can put on! Simples"

IF YOU WANT TO GET IN TOUCH...

Please don't reply to these emails - they disappear into a big hole somewhere in a parallel universe, and get ignored.

05/12/2018
The latest news and events from the Business & IP Centre Norfolk
As Christmas approaches, we'd like to thank you all for the help and support you've given us over the past year. The Business & IP Centre Norfolk has been steadily growing and we're working hard to bring you even more free events and fantastic resources in the new year. Have a lovely holiday season everyone!
If you haven't tried our new online subscription to IBISWorld yet you could be missing out. IBISWorld is a powerful market research tool, giving you free access to hundreds of different industry reports, economic research and demographic data. Copy and save the sections relevant to your business to lend weight to business plans and funding applications, all free of charge! To try this great new resource, simply visit us at BIPC Norfolk and ask a member of staff to log you on.
What's on:
New Spotlight program of free, bitesize business courses coming in the new year! New courses added and it all kicks off with:
Spotlight: What the Business & IP Centre Norfolk can do for you
Join us for a guided visit to BIPC Norfolk where you can find out about the fantastic resources and free advice sessions available to help your business grow and thrive.
Wednesday 16/01/2019, 17:45 - 18:30

Free 1:1 Advice Sessions at the Business & IP Centre Norfolk:

Free 1:1 Business Accounting Advice with Larking Gowen Chartered Accountants
Solve the mysteries of business accounting with this free one hour session. Talk to an experienced adviser from Larking Gowen who will offer their impartial opinion and expert advice.

BIPC Intellectual Property Clinics
Everyone owns the right to their own creativity so knowing what's protected in your business and what's not is essential. If you are a business person, an inventor, an artist or an author, IP will affect you.
Certified IP Advisers are available Wednesday - Friday at BIPC Norfolk to provide advice up to but not including legal advice.
Book your free appointment on Eventbrite now.

Free 1:1 Business Growth Advice with New Anglia Growth Hub.
Want to take your business to the next level? As well as help and advice, we can also help you access support and funding offered by other organisations throughout our region including grants, finance, apprenticeships, coaching and training.

Free 1:1 Business Sessions with Legal Experts from Leathes Prior Solicitors
Got a question about business law? This is the place for you! Receive information on a wide range of commercial legal topics such as business structure, company law, data protection, e-commerce, supply and sale contracts, as well as intellectual property and brand protection.

How to use COBRA 1:1 Sessions
Tuesdays 11/12/18 & 18/12/18. Various appointments bookable.
COBRA (Complete Business Reference Adviser) has all the information you need to get your business off the ground, containing details of thousands of different business types. You will find sector guides, business opportunity profiles and a business legal library, all freely accessible here at the Business & IP Centre Norfolk.
All Business & IP Centre Norfolk Events are now bookable through Eventbrite: www.bipcnorfolk.eventbrite.com

Tell us how it's going!
Here at BIPC Norfolk we are dedicated to providing free support and advice to help you start and grow your business. If things are going well and you feel you've benefited from any of our services, we'd love to hear from you. It all helps to ensure we can continue to provide and improve our service.
If you'd like to tell us about your business progress and successes, you can email your stories here: bipcnorfolk@norfolk.gov.uk

You are subscribed to receive this alert and notification regarding the publication of Norfolk County Council Committee Papers relating to Norfolk Records Committee. The draft Minutes for the meeting held on 2 November 2018 are now available.

Please note that Norfolk County Council is moving towards more paperless working and printed meeting papers are not generally available at our public meetings. Please click on the highlighted link above and then, within the site that opens, click the relevant date under the “Scheduled Meeting Date” column to see these papers.

You are subscribed to receive this alert and notification regarding the publication of Norfolk County Council Committee Papers relating to County Council. The Supplementary Agenda/ for the meeting due to be held on Monday 10 December 2018 is now available.Please note that Norfolk County Council is moving towards more paperless working and printed meeting papers are not generally available at our public meetings. Please click on the highlighted link above and then, within the site that opens, click the relevant date under the “Scheduled Meeting Date” column to see these papers.If you have any queries please email committees@norfolk.gov.uk

You are subscribed to receive this alert and notification regarding the publication of Norfolk County Council Committee Papers relating to Pensions Committee. The Agenda for the meeting due to be held on 11 December 2018 is now available.Please note that Norfolk County Council is moving towards more paperless working and printed meeting papers are not generally available at our public meetings. Please click on the highlighted link above and then, within the site that opens, click the relevant date under the “Scheduled Meeting Date” column to see these papers.If you have any queries please email committees@norfolk.gov.uk

Thanks to all the committee members, their other halves and anyone else involved for helping decorate the club yesterday. We hope you like it.

Besides the decorations we'll be having hot mulled wine available at £2.75 a go - just the thing for a cold lunchtime - and we've got loads of good stuff lined up between now and new years eve. Please see below for details - we have changed some things a bit in response to feedback. Whatever you're doing we hope to see you some time.

DON'T FORGET
CAROLS UP THE CLUB
THIS FRIDAY from 5pm
with free mince pies

In response to feedback we've revised our opening hours a little for this Christmas and New Year. The club is owned by it's members, and it's tricky to balance the need to use "your" money wisely with demand for use of the club, the need for our staff to have a rest and enjoy Christmas themselves, and also take into account the fact that County Hall will be at least semi-closed due to changes in NCC policy. Please see below for the changes we've made. Thanks for the feedback so far and we're always keen to hear your views. This years arrangements are a bit of a trial - so if you do want us to be open when county hall is on a skeleton staff, or you want us to have something on new years eve, then please try to support what we're doing and get as many people along as you can. Hope it all makes sense - you can always email us (details at the bottom of this email) if not. Thanks.

Avon Sale

The winning numbers in the Avon Raffle are: number 548 which wins a handbag and number 569 which wins a cosmetic bag. Prizes can be collected from the Social Club.

Monthly Big Quiz

Thanks for a great turnout on Friday. Also thanks for Dan and Julian for putting on the quiz. Please note that as usual there is no big quiz in December. The next one will be on January 25th next year and will form part of our Burns Night celebrations. We'll be contacting previous quiz masters and other volunteers soon to arrange next years quizzes. If you fancy setting the questions for the quiz night then please get in touch via events@nccsocialclub.co.uk

CAROLS UP THE CLUB
Friday 7th December
5pm for a 5.30 start.

We'll be having our annual carol extravaganza at the social club, with free hot mince pies! We'll start at 5.30pm, but please try to arrive a bit early. There's something a bit special about singing carols together, at this time of year, with a pint, a glass of wine or a non-alcoholic drink. There will be a collection in aid of the social clubs nominated charity as well. Mulled wine will also be available to purchase.

NORWICH CITY v ROTHERHAM
Saturday 8th December
Club opens 12pm

We'll be open for pre-match banter, great homecooked food from Jean and the girls, and our usual great value bar. Invite your fellow supporters along and also take advantage of our FREE parking. The first 50 social club members showing there social club membership card at the kiosk will be able to park for free. What's not to like? And hopefully Daniel Farke and the increasingly impressive Norwich Squad will deliver on the pitch as well.

Early Bird QuizFriday 14th @ 5.45pm

The Early Bird Quiz is a free to enter fun quiz, with a slightly silly approach. After work, once a month, on a Friday there's a maximum number of 5 people in a team, and free prizes. The winning team get a free round of drinks, the last placed team win a small chocolate bar. Come along, have a laugh, and leave work behind. We will finish about 7ish. Expect the unexpected. With a music round...

Please note we are opening early (at 6pm) so that the little ones can enjoy the party before they fall asleep. PLEASE NOTE that we can't let anyone in before 6pm, so please don't arrive too early.

With a special visit from a very special guest, we'll also have DJ Freddie on hand to ramp up the excitement and to guarantee some exhausted children and (hopefully) a nice lay in for the grown ups. Expect music, dancing, games, prizes and seasonal shenanigans. This open to social club members and their guests, sons, daughters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren - or even just friends of the family. Come along and enjoy - all we ask is that children are supervised at all times. And there will be a photo opportunity with the special guest as well. And Jean and the girls will be cooking up a storm in the kitchen, with hot delicious home made food available.

CLUB OPEN WEEK
Mon 17th - Fri 21st December

We would like your help in recruiting new members, and a good way of doing that is to get them up the club so they can see its not the 1970's working mens club style dinosaur that many people who haven't visited still believe it to be.

As its nearly Christmas, we thought we'd make it even more attractive by laying on hot mince pies from Monday to Thursday.

So over to you - please get your colleagues interested and then sign them up. Please note that the open week also includes the last working day disco.

Please also note that this doesn't include the childrens/family party on the 15th December, where normal membership rules will apply.

FREE HOT MINCE PIES MON-THUR at LUNCHTIME

lovely with a glass of mulled wine!

LAST WORKING DAY DISCO 2018
Friday 21st December from 4pm

Its the best place for the office get together or party. Its a county hall tradition that we're reviving due to public demand. Its a phenomenon! From 4pm we'll have a DJ on with all the tunes, lights and smoke effects to get the party started. The kitchen will be open to ensure you don't waste away, we'll have a lovely range of great value drinks on offer, and basically everything you need for a good night out. Whether you decide to stick with us all night or head on to the city you'll be sure of a good welcome.

And yes, we know that a lot of people will be in on Monday, but its a tradition to call it last working day!!!

CHRISTMAS EVE OPENING HOURS
12.00-2.00 and 7.00-11.00
CLOSED ALL DAY CHRISTMAS DAY
NORWICH CITY v NOTTS FOREST
Wednesday 26th December
Club opens 12pm

We'll be open for pre-match banter, great homecooked food from Jean and the girls, and our usual great value bar. Invite your fellow supporters along and also take advantage of our FREE parking. The first 50 social club members showing there social club membership card at the kiosk will be able to park for free. Will Father Christmas bring Norwich 3 points, or will our defense prove seasonably generous to the opposition?

Please note that as its boxing day we will closing at 6pm in the evening.
NORWICH CITY v DERBY COUNTY
Saturday 29th December
Club opens 12pm

We'll be open for pre-match banter, great homecooked food from Jean and the girls, and our usual great value bar. Invite your fellow supporters along and also take advantage of our FREE parking. The first 50 social club members showing there social club membership card at the kiosk will be able to park for free. Have we got what it takes to sustain a promotion push?

NEW YEARS EVE - Dec 31st
Club open 12-2 and from 4pm.

The club will be open in the evening, until midnight, so you can bring in the new year in style. We won't have any food in, but by all meals bring in your remaining Christmas nibbles, order in a takeaway, bring a pot noodle or whatever takes your fancy. We'll have a prosecco promotion on as well, so you can toast the old year, and welcome the new year with some bubbles.

CLOSED ALL DAY NEW YEARS DAY
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2019

We're planning some great stuff for 2019. Besides the monthly early bird quiz, big quiz, and pre home match football, we've got hot food Friday lunchtimes, our perennial 4 pints for the price of 3 (after work and before 7pm), the rock n roll club, retired members talks, various sports clubs and lots more. All for £2.50 a month!

Please sign up your colleagues so they can enjoy as well. These are all FREE for social club members and their guest (including children) and are paid for out of your £2.50 a month. So the more members we have, the more we can put on! Simples"

IF YOU WANT TO GET IN TOUCH...

Please don't reply to these emails - they disappear into a big hole somewhere in a parallel universe, and get ignored.

Stories of those who fought for women’s rights are being brought to life thanks to a unique partnership between Norfolk Library and Information Service and the University of East Anglia, with funding from the National Lottery.

Suffragette Stories involves making an archive relating to two working-class suffragettes available to schools, libraries, and the public via a digital exhibition.

As part of the project, young people in Cromer, Wymondham, Wroxham, Great Yarmouth, Loddon and Thetford interviewed older members of the community to discover more about the changing role of women in society. They have curated exhibitions in local libraries and workshops are being held at schools across Norfolk this term.

The library service has worked with Words and Women to put together a booklist to challenge and inspire readers, with the whole project finale being an exhibition at Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library from 1 to 31 December.

Did you know that one in six adults struggle with their reading? Could you spare a few hours a week to help adults learn to read at Gorleston, Yarmouth or the Millennium library?

The Norfolk Reading Pathway is a project which matches volunteers with adults who need support with reading. Coaches and learners meet in the library once a week for an hour and work through the ‘Yes we can read’ workbook. All of our coaching volunteers are given an induction, tips on working with adult learners and safeguarding information.

Being a Pathway coach can be very rewarding. One of our coaches told us “I feel proud to be an active part of this scheme. I felt nervous before the first session with my reader, but by the end of it, I was confident that it was going to work out”.

Come along every Saturday afternoon, 14:00 - 16:00, for games and crafts suitable for the whole family. Refreshments will be available so enjoy a relaxing couple of hours and maybe even borrow some books.

Author events

Meet the Author J A Newman at Downham Market library on 11 December, 10:30 - 12:00. She will be talking about her writing journey and her debut novel 'Where there's a Will'. Refreshments and book signing will be available after the talk.

Famed crime writer, Elizabeth Haynes, will be visiting North Walsham library to talk about her work on 20 December, 19:30 - 20:30. Places are limited, and booking is essential. Tickets cost £3 each.

Creative writing and let's talk about art

On Monday 3 December, Phil Barrett will be visiting Sheringham library to talk about art (10:00 - 12:00) and for a creative writing group (12:00 - 14:00). He will be back on Monday 10 December for another creative writing group (12:00 - 14:00).

Life is a cabaret old chum - Berlin in the 20's

A talk by Rozanne Mark illustrated with music on Wednesday 5 December, 10:30, at Aylsham library.

"A time of political and economic chaos but also a time of unparalleled creativity and modernity". This extraordinary story shows how this decade created our modern world.

Norfolk libraries have provided copies of the children’s book Gobbolino - The Witch’s Cat by Ursula Williams, to pupils in primary schools in Great Yarmouth, Gorleston, Sprowston and Heartsease as part of a partnership with Into Opera who are working with children to turn the book into an opera. Displays and performances will take place in local libraries in 2019.

The project is launched with a fundraiser "Opera Unwrapped for Christmas" on Sunday 2 December for Into Opera's projects and commitment to offering children across the county an empowering and imaginative introduction to opera. This concert will also feature a special performance from the Into Opera Youth Company. Tickets cost £35.

Start Time: 6:30pm for canapés and bubbly, concert begins at 7pm.

End Time: 9:45pm

Christmas Chills at Sprowston Library

On Thursday 6 December, 19:00 - 20:30, join us at Sprowston library for an atmospheric evening of spooky tales for the festive season with local actor Tom Carver. This is a free event, but mince pies and mulled wine are available for £1.50. Please call the library on 01603 408426 to book a place. Suitable for ages 14 and over.

Christmas with the choir at Poringland Library

Join us at Poringland library on 17 December, 14:00 - 15:00, for Carols sung by Poringland Primary school choir, with mince pies afterwards. Everyone is welcome to this community event.

With the nights pulling in and the temperature dropping, why not make the most of December to catch up with a top title DVD.

Featuring intense action, extraordinary stunts and a great storyline, Mission Impossible - Fallout proved to be a huge hit on the cinema. This is a must-see for fans of action films.

After the traumatic climax of Infinity War, Marvel fans will no doubt appreciate the lighter tone of Ant-Man and the Wasp. This film delivers on jokes, story and visual effects and is bound to please fans of comic book movies.

Also out this month, Ewan McGregor stars in Christopher Robin as the titular character returns to the Hundred Acre Woods and is reunited with his childhood friends Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga and Roo.

That’s not all though. Hotel Transylvania 3, Crazy Rich Asians, The Equalizer 2, The Festival, The Meg, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, Unfriended: Dark Web, Blackkklansman and King of Thieves all arrive on DVD this month.

All of these films and more will be available to borrow from Norfolk Libraries for just £2 for two nights from their day of release. For more information about our films and music service please visit our website.